Posted By Dan Rakusan On Feb 6 2009 @ 3:17 pm In New York Rangers | No Comments

Sean Avery is about to resume skating, after which it is expected the Dallas Stars will attempt to assign him to an AHL team for conditioning (and to be rid of him for good). With no AHL affiliate, the Stars will be looking for another team to accept him onto their farm team, and apparently the Rangers are willing to roll the dice! According to Hockeycentral today, the Rangers GM, Glen Sather, has had closed-door meetings with the players, asking them if they would accept Avery on the team, and apparently the players are fine with it, given certain provisos.Â From the sounds of it, one key would be that Avery doesn't speak to Canadian media anymore.Â Fair enough!Â After all, he calls it like it is, and we wouldn't want that!Â I'm still shocked at the fact that Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk didn't get any punishment for suggesting fans who want the team blown up should go out and get their own bomb and blow themselves up[1], but I digress…

Avery would bring something that the Rangers have sorely lacked all season long:Â identity and character.

This is a guy who was instrumental to the team while he was on Broadway.Â It's the perfect fit.Â He'd be close to the second love of his life, fashion, and would be playing with a team that actually seemed able to control his off-the-cuff remarks to a considerable degree.

Of course, there is a risk here, but Avery is a good hockey player, and deserves a second chance.Â He has jumped through the prescribed hoops set out by Colin Campbell, and he's ready to play again, or at least, he will be soon.

The Rangers could use some jam.Â They not only lost Avery, but also Ryan Hollweg, and now seem very flat.Â If not for Colton Orr, I'd call the team a bunch of pushover-type players who really don't bring anything to the table that would make other teams afraid to play against them.

Other than Henrik Lundqvist, there is no identity to this team.

Avery would solve that problem, and likely for free (waivers).

UPDATE – Apparently Glen Sather is with the team as they travel to Dallas to face the Stars tonight.Â Sounds like there are some definite legs to this.Â Here's what needs to happen:

Dallas places Avery on waivers. Avery finishes his “treatment program” Dallas sends Avery to the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL (Rangers' affiliate) Rangers monitor his progress to ensure he's “cured what ails him” Dallas places Avery on re-entry waivers 20 or so teams pass him over Rangers claim him at half his salary/cap hit

Feel free to express your opinions of Avery, and this possible scenario, which definitely sounds like it's very close to happening.